Ag Tires versus Industrial tires

[pmsmechanic]

I think how well turf tires work in slick conditions really depends on the type of soil you have. Here we have a very sandy soil and I can get traction pretty well any where I go. And yet I can see turfs being totally useless in really greasy stuff.

Just as a reference for some people I'll give a few examples of what I can get away with.

I clean manure out of corrals for farmers. They like the fact that I'm small enough to get into tight places and that the tractor size keeps me from wrecking their corrals if I run into them. I can get enough traction to fill a manure bucket to over flowing. My manure bucket is basically a bar with a back on it and 24" long tines sticking out the front. Sometimes if it's real soupy I have to take a run at the manure to fill the bucket but most of the time I can do it on grunt alone. If it starts to rain while I'm cleaning corrals I'm done. I just can't get enough traction to do the job.

I live in irrigation country. Some farmers still just run grassed in ditches and let the water flow out over the fields. Sometimes these ditches leak a lot of water from grass roots growing through the banks or cattle or moles can cause issues too. I rototill grass beside the ditch and scoop it up with the loader and build up the ditch so that the water won't leak out. Our soil is sandy enough that I can do this with water running all over the place as long as there is some sod for traction. If I try this in a tilled field I haven't got a hope of moving around.

 

[brown40]

Glad you made your mind up--I have R-4's and I only regret it in mud and snow. i never saw a link pop up for the "rice paddie" and some of the other specialty tires that have been discussed, but I remember they looked like a hybrid between R-1's and R-4's, with surface area similar to the turf tires. I have yet to see them in person, but they sure looked interesting.

 

[Threepoint]

This site is wonderful. Thanks for all the input. It was valuable in helping me make up my mind. All the side discussions are interesting too. I ended up changing my mind again and again over this long weekend. I just can't develop the confidence in my mind that Turf tires would work as well in slick conditions, despite claims to the contrary. I could be wrong, but I am not willing to experiment with such a big cost to change once you choose. If I were a hard core farmer I would probably go with AG tires, but I am not, so I went with the r-4's.
Next year I will be giving my own subjective opinion on this topic. Don't know what it is yet

As between R1s and R4s, I too think you made the right choice for your planned uses. I favor R3s for traction on rough ice and snow-pack, but you can always add chains if that ever becomes an issue for you. :thumbsup:

 

[drizler]

My ags don't rut the lawn though we have hard packed clay here. The real damage comes from turning the steering while not moving. I leave the back hoe on mine most of the time for weight and utility as well so it's pretty heavy back there. Otherwise I like the ags fine as we have a lot of mud around here when it's wet.

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

The only time I ever regret having my ag tires on my L3901 is in the spring or after a lot of heavy rain I have to stay off my lawn. Any other time of the year they really don't mess up the yard at all as long as I'm not making tight turns. That said I seriously debated going between R4 industrials and R1 ags and for 90% of the tasks I do with my tractor like logging and pulling a box blade or rake, maximum traction is what I need. My tractor also sees a lot of mud as well and getting stuck isn't something I was interested In doing.

 

[Mike9]

I just put new tires on my B6200. I'm in the woods a lot and back field so I went with bar lugs on the rear and R4s on the front. I grooved them for extra traction.

 

[motownbrowne]

I just put new tires on my B6200. I'm in the woods a lot and back field so I went with bar lugs on the rear and R4s on the front. I grooved them for extra traction.

View attachment 481029 View attachment 481030

Out of curiosity, did you calculate the circumference of the new tires and try to keep the front to rear ratio the save as the OEM configuration? Also, what type of tires did you have originally, and did you have to buy new rims?

I'd love to have r1s on the rear and r4s on the front of my Kubota. I don't have room for r4s in the back, because of my vegetable row spacing. Also, I like the traction. I'd like r4s on the front though for durability and flotation. With the loader on, even without the bucket, the front tires put a lot of pressure on the ground.

 

[Mike9]

The rears are Carlisle Tru-Powers and the fronts are Titan R4s. They replaced turfs that had some dry rot. The rears are 29x12.5x15 - standard circumference the fronts are 20x8x10 vs the stock 20.5x8x10 - well within the .02% RC difference allowed and no binding whatsoever. The rears are 6 ply the fronts 4 and are way heavier duty than the turfs that came off so yes same wheels as turfs. I'm going to fill the rears with Citrastar 50 for an increase of 150lbs per side. Hope this helps.

 

[bindian]

I just put new tires on my B6200. I'm in the woods a lot and back field so I went with bar lugs on the rear and R4s on the front. I grooved them for extra traction.

With that combination, in 4WD, your gonna bind up and eat up gears. Slippage and gear ratios are mismatched with two different tread patterns. Why do you think manufacturers never do it?
Good luck in the long run. Your will need it. Also, you might wanna search mismatched tread patterns on 4WD. Your will not like what you find out. Doesn't matter if it is a tractor or 4WD truck. They all will bind up.
hugs, Brandi

 

[IndyIan]

With that combination, in 4WD, your gonna bind up and eat up gears. Slippage and gear ratios are mismatched with two different tread patterns. Why do you think manufacturers never do it?
Good luck in the long run. Your will need it. Also, you might wanna search mismatched tread patterns on 4WD. Your will not like what you find out. Doesn't matter if it is a tractor or 4WD truck. They all will bind up.
hugs, Brandi

Tractor 4wd is set up with binding by design, with 2 to 7 % over speed on the front axle. Seems crazy but check your service manual, its in mine with a procedure to calculate how much over speed you would get with different tire sizes.
Tractor 4wd is set up that way so the tractor will turn when the front has to travel farther than the back, if the tires have the same ground speed the fronts will just get skidded sideways as they would be under speed in a corner and get pushed along.
I notice it now more with my tractor as the fronts have worn down a bit, that they do spin a little when in 4wd going straight.